The NeXT Mission

TL;DR

The NeXT mission is an international X-ray observatory designed to explore a broad energy range from soft X-rays to soft gamma-rays with high spectral resolution, enabling advanced astrophysical research.

Contribution

It introduces a novel combination of wide-band X-ray instruments, including focusing mirrors, micro-calorimeters, and gamma-ray detectors, for comprehensive high-resolution X-ray astronomy.

Findings

Wide energy coverage from 0.3 keV to 600 keV.

High spectral resolution micro-calorimeter with Delta E ~ 7 eV.

International collaboration for advanced X-ray instrumentation.

Abstract

The NeXT (New exploration X-ray Telescope), the new Japanese X-ray Astronomy Satellite following Suzaku, is an international X-ray mission which is currently planed for launch in 2013. NeXT is a combination of wide band X-ray spectroscopy (3 - 80 keV) provided by multi-layer coating, focusing hard X-ray mirrors and hard X-ray imaging detectors, and high energy-resolution soft X-ray spectroscopy (0.3 - 10 keV) provided by thin-foil X-ray optics and a micro-calorimeter array. The mission will also carry an X-ray CCD camera as a focal plane detector for a soft X-ray telescope and a non-focusing soft gamma-ray detector. With these instruments, NeXT covers very wide energy range from 0.3 keV to 600 keV. The micro-calorimeter system will be developed by international collaboration lead by ISAS/JAXA and NASA. The simultaneous broad bandpass, coupled with high spectral resolution of Delta E ~ 7 eV by the micro-calorimeter will enable a wide variety of important science themes to be pursued.